Last night I ate my first “real tomato” of the season.
wOw!
Despite the calendar, this marks the beginning of summer for me.
As I get older, it seems each season has its own symbol of shift. Hanging laundry on the line means Spring. Real tomatoes mean summer. Open windows mean Autumn. Hardwood fires mean Winter.
This makes me think about the other symbols of shifts in my life.
Having friends who simply want to swap lessons and stories means having authentic, life long relationships is the gig.
Having young people in my life who feel comfortable telling me their deepest secrets means being a listener is always a good thing.
Having two dogs who’ve finally found their balance living in the same home means there IS hope.
Having the word ‘friend’ become a verb; tweat become something we do rather than hear; and stumbling being a good thing means this world is getting smaller right in front of me.
Having to check my larger-than-3oz bottle of castile soap while being able to carry knitting needles onto a plane means the world has changed in some ways I don’t prefer.
Having something shake me up for a much shorter amount of time than it would have ten years ago means some of The Work I’ve been doing is actually working.
Having little kids come her to play and then go home means some things never change.
And having people in their 30s call me “M’am” or “Miss Lisa” means … well, I’m choosing to believe that means I live in The South.
What are some of the symbols of shift in your life?
Lisa’s Cheap Therapy blog 
Wow, that’s something I’d never thought about about. How different the word “friend” and “tweet” are now! I love words and I love thinking about them and this is some pretty awesome stuff you’ve brought to mind. I can’t think of any symbol shifts in my life right now (though I’m sure there are many!) but you’ve really gotten me thinking.
Well, I just can’t spend my life thinking I’m a “twit.” Technology greatly helps us get in touch…and stay in touch with the people we care about. But (to me) it’s just a substitute for being able to say the things we want to say without ever having to actually LOOK at anybody when we say them. Good points and bad points. At least it keeps us trying. And maybe that makes it all worthwhile. I’m still undecided.
Re: young people. When I was young, my whole focus was me. I guess that’s how it’s supposed to be. We focus on ourselves so we can get through the struggles of life’s little/big challenges. The vast majority of young people I know are focused just as I was…on “me.” How great it is to meet a young person who actually asks you a question…and even greater when they actually want to know the answer. Always makes me wonder if I’m the same way…just wanting people to listen to ME. Geez…what in the world would happen if we all gave up being so self-centered?? I guess we’re all just a little bit afraid of what’s in that void. Enough about me. Please post some really nice things you think about me.
July when the sky is so blue that you can see school approaching. Wind and mist and a tinch of cold in the air as fall approaches. The first snowflake with a design in it may happen in Sept. but the promise of winter is around the corner. Crocus…………..spring thaw, meadowlarks’songs, buds on trees, brown changing to green………spring. Awards day in May…………..Summer
ooooooooooooo Val ~ wonderfullllllllll. thanks.
Light is a symbol of shift for me. Just this morning, before I read your blog, I was thinking about light, what it means to me, and how that meaning is shifting as I grow older. I used to take daylight for granted, sometimes cursing it as a teenager/young adult when I wanted to sleep in after a late night. Light was a thing that made nice shadows for me to draw and paint, that made the grass look cool when it shone through the trees. I was just as happy with artificial lights, though–could go on for hours and hours with them. Now, however, I seem to need the real thing. Our friend, Teresa, thinks we’re all Vitamin D deficient. I only know that April and May, with their lengthening days, had me ecstatic; and when a friend pointed out to me the other day that we were almost 1/2 way through June my first thought was, “Oh, no–after the Summer Solstice I will lose a little bit more light everyday until I find myself wanting to hibernate at 5:30 in the afternoon in December!” These days, I need more light to simply see! I’m always carrying things over to a window or right under a lamp to be able to read them better. In my more maudlin moments, I equate this desire for light with the reality of my own “fading” life. I start humming the old Jimmy Durante song (yes, he sang it before Willie Nelson), …”and the days dwindle down to a precious few…September…November!” That’s when I have to say, “SNAP OUT OF IT!” and I think about the concept of returning light, of all the wonderful myths/religions that tell us Persephone will return, as will Jesus, along all the other good guys and gals of light. I have to think about the idea of how when the light turns out on this earthly existence, there’s another one ready to turn on for me somewhere else. Who knows. maybe I’ll even be a part of the light……